What Might Have Been
by Tate Icasa
Summary: The first part in what I hope becomes a Quartet. . .Sequel Posted
1. Beginnings

**What Might Have Been**

**By. Tate Icasa**

A/n: The song 'My Song' is _my_ _song_, I made it. However the song I've added in places is 'What Might Have Been' by Diamond Rio. It is not mine. Neither are any of the Phil of the Future Characters.

Chapter One: Beginnings

A/n: Wonderfully creative chapter one title don't you think. Random laughter. OK, I'm done.

Phil Diffy and Keely Teslow walked down the street together. It was a cool spring day and school had just let out.

"Explain to me again why you aren't coming over today." Phil said.

Keely sighed. "Mrs. Farmer needs me to watch the twins while she takes Bradley to his Piano recital. Obviously they didn't enjoy it last time."

"Uh-huh." As they neared Phil's house he said bye to Keely and jumped over the fence.

"You could have used the gate like everyone else, Phil!" Barb Diffy, a.k.a. Phil's Mother called. "Now come help us get Curtis off the mantel."

_Curtis is on the Mantel?_ Again?

"Pim, what did you say to him?" He asked his thirteen-year-old sister. She glared at him, but before she could answer the doorbell rang. All four of the Diffy's ran to answer it, and Curtis took the opportunity to escape to the garage.

"_Hello,_ Lloyd, Barbara, Philip, and Pim Diffy," the man at the door said. . . .

A/n: Cliffie! Don't worry, I won't do that too often. Mwahahahaha!


	2. Maybe Not Forever

**What Might Have Been**

**By. Tate Icasa**

Chapter Two: Maybe Not Forever

"Hello,_ Lloyd, Barbara, Philip and Pim Diffy," the man at the door said. . . ._

Mr. Hackett smiled at the family for a minute before stepping into the house.

"Vice Principle Hackett," Barb said. "What brings you to our _normal_ American home?"

"Yeah," Pim put in, "Phil never gets in trouble at school, and I haven't had problems there for _three days._"

"Did it hurt?" Phil said, grinning.

"Phil!" Barb said sharply. "Now, Vice Principle Hackett, what does bring you to our home?"

Hackett spun. "I thought it only fair to warn you. I know your secret, Diffy's." They gaped at him. "I trust you recall how our dinner went, the _first_ time?"

"What are you talking about, Mr. Hackett?" Pim asked nervously.

Hackett began pacing, ticking things off on his fingers. "You come from the year 2121. You have a caveman living in your garage. You told your secret to Keely Teslow, who promised not to tell. -"

"That's enough," Pim interrupted. "We believe you."

"But, that was almost a year ago. Why are you only remembering now?" Lloyd began pacing and muttering Techno-Babble about the Time Machine to himself.

"You haven't told anyone, have you?" Phil asked.

"Oh, no no no no no!" Hackett said. "Not yet, anyway."

"What do you want?" Pim asked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The words 'not yet' mean you want something," she said flatly, "They're _blackmail and bribery_ words."

Phil sighed. "What she means," he swallowed, "what she means is, what do you want not to tell?"

"Oh, I don't _want_ anything from you." Hackett frowned. "Still, I don't want you to be experimented on. You are human, as far as I can tell." He paused. "How's this: You cut off all contact with people in this century, and leave town by this time Thursday."

"And if we're gone?" Pim asked.

"If you're gone, I don't tell a soul about you. Deal?"

Lloyd stopped pacing. "Deal."

"Thursday," Phil whispered. "That's two days. Two day's without Keely." Louder he said. "I I'm going to go up to my room."

"No telephone!" Lloyd called as Mr. Hackett left the house.

Pim looked up the stairs after her brother and shook her head. If she knew him, he'd find some way to contact Keely. Of all of them, Phil seemed to have found a true friend in this century. She knew he wouldn't leave without telling his friend.

"Good luck, Phil," She said under her breath.

_Two hours later_

Phil set the cube on his desk.

"This is hopeless!" he hissed in frustration and hit his head on the wall.

"_Nothing_ is hopeless." Pim said, sticking her head in the door. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Phil sighed. "It's just - nothing."

"No, really," Pim urged, "Maybe I can help."

Phil looked at her skeptically. "You? Help? Yeah, right." He slid his chair in front of the door to stop her from entering.

She sighed and slid past him to the desk. She looked at the desk then at Phil. "A Holo-cube? Lemme guess, for Keely right?"

He looked at her and shrugged. "Yeah," he admitted. "But the picture and the voice are way out of sync."

Pim slid one of the sides away. "Phil, Phil, Phil, the audio receptor and the Holographic stabilizer!"

"What? What about them?"

"If they're misaligned by a fraction of a _millimeter_ it can screw up a whole program. You've got them on _opposite ends_ of the cube! Were you even _awake_ when you put this together.

"Of course I was," he said, "I was just. . .preoccupied."

"By what?"

_By Keely._ He thought. "Nothing." he said.

Pim looked up. "That should fix it."

"Um, thanks, Pim. Are you feeling OK?"

"As well as can be expected in this lame century. Why?"

"Pim, you just helped me."

"You're breaking the rules. Your point being?"

"Nothing. Just go away."

"Nothing doing. To get that to Keely you have to sneak out, and I'm sick of this house. I'm coming.

"But Pim-"

"Oh, Mo-om," Pim said softly.

"Shhhh!" Phil hissed. "OK, you can come, but be _quiet_."

"Fine." She pulled a can out of her pocket.

"Envies-spray? Where'd you get that, I thought we were out."

"Think again, big brother. I have a whole cabinet in my room." She turned the spray toward him.

"Am I invisible yet?" he asked. She looked at the seemingly empty space in front of her.

"Yep. Now do me." After she was invisible Phil slid the cube into his pocket.

"Come on." He said. "Pim! Where are you!"

"Keep your voice down!" she whispered. "I'm right here!"

"I can't tell that!" he whispered back.

"Well, duh, I'm _invisible_. Come on, before I change my mind about helping you."

The door to Phil's room slowly closed.

(A/n: I could be really mean and make a cliffie here. But I won't, cause I'm nice. Applause for me. No really, there is no cliffie here.)

The two invisible Diffy children stood under Keely's window.

"_That's_ Keely's room-"

"Are you pointing? 'Cause if you are, since you're invisible, I can't _see_ you point."

"Right above us, Pim!" He hissed is frustration.

"What about her parents, Phil?"

"Her dad doesn't live with her. And her mom isn't home, see, no car in the drive way."

"I can't _see_ you pointing. Which driveway?"

"The one in front of this house."

"Which house would that be?"

"Pim! Stop being irritating and lift me up there!"

"Phil, I can't _see_ you, how can I _lift _you?" Phil seethed but didn't answer. "Here." She pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to Phil.

"Pim, how did you get these?" Then he interrupted himself. "Never mind. I probably don't want to know." He put on the black gloves and used the laser suction cups to pull himself in front of the window. Keely was sitting at her desk doing homework. Phil released on hand to knock on the window. Keely looked up, shrugged, and went back to her homework. He knocked again. "Keel!" Keely looked towards the window. "Keel, it's me, Phil, let me in."

"Phil?" Keely asked. "Where are you?"

"I'm outside your window. Let me in."

"I don't _see_ you outside my window. Is this some sort of trick?"

"Trick? No! I'm invisible. I'll explain when I'm not hanging from a roof. OK?"

"Oh, right." She opened the window. "Phil, are you inside yet?"

"Yeah," he said, turning her desk chair. She jumped. "Gotcha!" he laughed.

"Phil! Not funny!"

"Sorry."

"Oh, Phil, guess what happened!" she said excitedly.

He sighed. "You remember everything that happened the first time Hackett came for dinner."

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Hackett just left my house."

"Oh!" Then with more understanding. "Ohhh. Did he. . . ?"

"Not yet. He gave us until Thursday to convince him not to tell. But we're not supposed to contact anyone from this century during that time."

"But, then, why are you here?"

"Because, I wanted to give you something, in case we can't convince Hackett." He pulled the cube out of his pocket and set it on the desk. "I can't talk to you for a couple of days OK, so don't call, don't come over. Wait until Friday, then tell the Holo-cube to 'begin'."

"OK, Phil."

"I have to go before I become visible again. Bye, Keel." The window moved as he leaned out. "Pim! If you're out there, get out of the way, I'm gonna jump! Pim?"

"You're clear!" Pim said. He jumped from the window.

"Pim, you're still here?"

"I get nowhere better to be in _this_ century."

"Let's just go home before this stuff wears off or Mom and Dad start looking for us."

"Fine." Pim said and started walking.

Phil looked back at Keely. She still sat at the window, smiling and waving. He waved back.

"_She_ can't see you wave anymore than _I_ can see you point."


	3. Leaving

**What Might Have Been**

**By. Tate Icasa**

Chapter Three: Leaving

A/n: sorry I had to add this little chappie but. . . .

The Diffy family, and Curtis, sat in the living room.

"OK, family, I rewired the time machine so it'll drive like a normal 21st century RV."

"Great." Pim said, heading to the time machine.

"Wait. Is everybody packed?"

"Here, mom." Phil said, dropping his tiny suitcases on the table.

"Yeah, here." Pim said, putting her's there also.

"Lloyd?"

"My stuff is already in the time machine."

"Alright. Curtis, I've packed you clothes-"

"Curtis bring rock?"

"A _small_ rock." Barb said.

Curtis came back with a handful of pebbles. "Curtis take these?"

"Sure." Barb agreed, pulling a small red suitcase from her purse, "put them in these."

"No! Curtis carry!"

Lloyd sighed. "Come on, let's go."

Barb slid all the suitcases into her purse.

The Diffy's filed into the time machine, and Lloyd drove out of Pickford.


	4. The Memory Box

Chapter Four: The Memory Box

A/n: Pheely moment!

_Friday_

Keely Teslow fingered the gray cube Phil had given her. She had no idea what it was, or what it did.

Phil had told her to wait until Friday. It was Friday.

She set the cube down on the desk. "Begin." She told it, just as Phil had told her to.

A holographic picture sprang up off the top of the cube. The pictures held so many memories. There was Max. Tia and Seth. Owen and Via. Pim. Bradley. Everyone they had known. The pictures stopped.

The image of Phil sprang up, pacing.

"Hello, Keely," the image said. "If you followed my instruction, then by now it's Friday, and you probably won't ever see me, or my family again. The day I gave you this Holo-cube, I lied to you. Hackett didn't give us two days to convince him, he gave us two days to leave.

"Please understand that I didn't tell you because I couldn't. I wanted my last memory of you to be happy. Please don't cry, Keely. I'll find some way to keep in contact. And we won't forget you. I promise.

"I left you another gift, in the cabinet where we first found Curtis. I promise you'll understand when you see it.

"And because I'm gone, I think it's safe to tell you the only secret I kept." He paused for a moment. Then he looked up at her. "And that, Keely Teslow, is that I've been in love with you since the day we met.

"Good bye, Keel, but not forever. I hope." He closed his eyes and the picture winked out.

"Oh, Phil," she moaned. "Why?"

She picked up her guitar.

"Why didn't you tell me? We could have been something. For a while at least. Now I'll never know."

She closed her eyes and began to sing.

A/n: this song is mine.

_Ok, Diffy, here's the deal._

_you waited too long to tell me how you feel_

_well now I know and you're hours gone_

_and all I've got let is a box and a song_

_goodby, but not forever, you said_

_I'll see you again in the future ahead_

_my ashes behind me, my fire I've spent_

_and still I'm left to wonder where you went_

_you've already left and gone away_

_memories of you always will stay_

_you told me to late to let me ask why_

_and I'm too young to scream and I'm too old to cry_

_well now I know and you're hours away_

_I've said nothing 'bout what I wanted to say_

_too bad you left before I could tell you_

_the way you feel is how I feel too_

_we could have been together, just you and me_

_but we'd opened our eyes and still couldn't see_

_I understand why we had to hide_

_afraid to show how we felt inside_

_its to late to share and you're hours gone_

_your memory is held in a box and a song_

_your box, my song_

_my song_

_my song_

_this song_

_for you_

A/n: wow, lyrics are hard to write. next chappie coming.


	5. Never Look A Gift OMANC In The Microchip

**What Might Have Been**

**By. Tate Icasa**

Chapter Five: Never Look A Gift OMANC in the Microchip

Keely Teslow entered to abandoned house of Phil Diffy. She opened the cabinet where Curtis had been discovered. There was a tiny box sitting there, the only thing left.

Keely opened the box and pulled out a tiny silver square. Tiny bits of circuitry lined one side of it. Each corner had a hole. In one of the hole hung a thin silver chain. The box had a little piece of velvet for the piece to sit on and Keely pulled it out.

The velvet was folded but on the back words could be seen. Keely unfolded the velvet and began to read.

"You gave her WHAT!" Lloyd Diffy exploded, almost losing control of the RV/time machine.

"I had to, dad-" Phil tried to explain.

"Phil, I don't want to hear it."

"Bad Phil!" Curtis said and threw a stone at his head.

Dear Keely,

This square is the most important piece of the time machine. It's the OMANC, or Original Memory And Navigational Computer. Without it we can't go back to my time. If we stay in this century there's always a chance that we may someday meet again. So I'm making sure we have that chance.

Phil.

PS. The chain isn't part of it. I added that so you can wear the OMANC as a necklace.


	6. Second Chances

**What Might Have Been**

**By. Tate Icasa**

Chapter Six: Second Chances

A/n: a few supporting fanfics here.

Bill Tiffy looked at the doors to H.G. Wells Junior/Senior High.

"Come _on_, Bill," his fifteen-year-old sister Kim said. "We're going to be late."

Bill smiled to himself and nodded absently. "Let's find the main office and figure out where we're supposed to go."

Kim nodded and started walking. She looked back. "Are you _coming_?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry."

Bill stood at the front of a classroom. Ms. Winston stood behind a desk.

"Class," Ms. Winston said. "This is Mr. Bill Tiffy. He'll be joining our class. Please make him feel Welcome."

"Um, Ms. W, where should I sit? He closed his eyes. _Not by Keely, not by Keely-_

_Sure, I think about you now and then_

_but it's been a long long time_

"Why don't you sit over there, by Miss Teslow. Miss Teslow raise your hand so Bill here knows who you are.

Keely raised her hand. "My name is Keely, but the way," she whispered as he sat.

"Bill," he whispered back.

_I've got a good life now_

_I've moved on_

She smiled at him but she wasn't watching. He was absorbed in the math on the board. She rolled her eyes and began to work.

He glanced at her out the corner of his eye. She was a beautiful as he remembered. For a second her blue eyes met with brown eyes.

_So when you cross my mind. . . ._

He looked away and worked harder at his work than he had before.

"Do you need help?" Keely whispered.

He ignored her. She didn't bother him again.

Soon, it was lunchtime.

He pulled a brown bag out of his locker and met up with Kim. They found a table away from everyone else.

"How'd it go?" Kim asked. He shrugged. "Did you see her?" He nodded. "And?"

"She introduced herself. I introduced myself." Kim looked at him skeptically, "And then I ignored her."

"What'd you ignore her for?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," she said flatly.

"How much did you know? Before?"

"You loved her." He goggled at her. "And she loved you, you know. Everyone seemed to know it but you two." She smiled slightly. "So, spill, why'd you ignore her?"

"If she isn't my friend, she won't miss me when," he swallowed, "when we go home."

Kim nodded knowingly. "You don't want to break your heart, or hers, again."

They ate in silence for a while.

"So, how was your day?" He finally asked.

"Not bad," Kim said. "Debbie attached herself to me. She says I remind her of her best friend Pim." She smiled. He smiled too. It was hard to forget Debbie. "Look out, here comes Little Miss Sunshine." Kim muttered. Bill looked up to see Keely, Seth, and Via walking toward them.

"Hey, Bill." Keely said.

_I try not to think about what might have been._

_cause that was then_

"Hey, Keely, right?"

She nodded. "And these two are Seth and Via."

"Olivia actually, but I like Via." Via said. He nodded.

"We were wondering if you'd like to be friends, you know, since it's your first day and all. . ."

"Yes," Via interrupted, "and we know how hard it is to make friends. Well, I do anyway."

"She's a transfer student." A blond boy said, popping up behind her. "And I love her."

"Oh, please,"Via said. "That twit is Owen. You're a guy, so he won't bother you, but . . ." She looked pointedly at Kim.

"I'm Bill's sister Kim," she cut in, "and I'm _not_ allowed to date until I'm seventeen.

Bill smiled. Floyd and Sara had no such rule. Trust Kim to make something like that up on the spot.

Kim made a point of looking Owen over. "But maybe I can find a way around that rule." She an a hand through her long, red hair and winked.

"Um, I'm just gonna leave now. _Yeah_." Owen walked away.

"Wow, how'd you do that?" Keely exclaimed.

"Yes, we've been trying for years." Via put in.

Kim pushed Bill almost off the bench and began speaking to the girls. Bill took the hint and slid away, remembering to thank Kim later.

_One Week Later_

Keely grabbed Bills arm on the way out of Math Class.

"Hey," she said, "I hardly ever get to talk to you. Aren't we friends?"

He hesitated.

"Well, aren't we?"

He pushed past her. "It's best if I don't have friends."

_And we have taken different roads_

_We can't go back again_

She stopped him. "Explain that."

"Explain what?" he asked.

"Why it's best if you don't have friends."

He sighed. "My family moves around a lot. Last time I had a friend . . . we moved away . . ."

"Oh," Keely said. "I get it. Still?"

_There's no use giving in_

_and There's no way to know_

_what might have been_

He smiled. "OK, we can be friends."

Keely beamed.

_Later, at Bills House_

"Bill, will you tell me about the friend you left behind?" Keely asked.

He blinked. "Uh, sure, but you can't tell anyone."

"So it's a secret."

"Yeah," he smiled. "Her name was, was Kelly. She was beautiful. She had long blond hair and blue eyes. She broke some rule to be my friend, and in the end we shared a secret. We stayed best friends for almost tow years, and . . ." his voice broke. "I loved her, and I think she loved me, but I didn't tell her until the day we left."

"That's so sad!"

He nodded. _You know what's sadder? The fact that she's sitting in front of me and doesn't know it's me._

"I sorry, Bill."

_We can sit and talk about this all night long_

_and wonder why we didn't last_

_yes, they might be the best days we'll ever know,_

_but we'll have to leave them in the past._


	7. It's A Beautiful Night

**What Might Have Been**

**By. Tate Icasa**

Chapter Seven: It's a Beautiful Night

A/n: about a week has passed. Closer, closer. . .

Bill and Keely sat on a bench in the park. It was almost nine but they didn't have to go to their homes until midnight. The night was silent. There was no one else in the park.

Keely pulled something out of her pocket. It was a folded piece of paper. "This is what I wanted to show you. I wrote it after my best friend moved away."

She showed him the song she'd written.

"That, that's beautiful," he whispered. "Why did you want to show it to me?"

She shrugged. "You told me about your best friend. I told you about mine."

"After he -he right-" she nodded, "after he left, did you find someone else?"

"A best friend? Yeah, Via." he shook his head. "You mean someone else to love? No. Did you?"

"No," he said softly, "not since then.

"Oh," They sat in silence.

_The same old look in your eyes_

_it's a beautiful night_

Bill got up. "I, I have to go."

"Do you _have_ to?"

He nodded.

_I'm so tempted to stay_

_but too much time has gone by_

He walked down the street toward home.

_I have to get away from her,_ he thought, _before I say something I shouldn't._

"Bill, wait a minute, I'll go with you."

_We should just say goodbye_

_and turn and walk away._

Bill didn't stop. And he didn't look back.


	8. Apologies And Secrets, Part One

Chapter Eight: Apologies and Secrets

Part One: Apologies

Bill flopped down on his bed.

"You're home early." Kim noted.

He looked at her.

"What happened?"

"She showed me a song she wrote. Just after her best friend moved away." _It had my name in it_.

"And?"

He sighed. "I left." She looked at him incrediously. "What?" he demanded. "I was _this close_ to telling her our secret."

"So tell her. She knew before."

"Never again, Kim. _Never again_."

"Just trying to be helpful."

"No, that's, that's not what I mean."

"Whatever." Kim left.

After a few minute Bill picked up the phone and dialed Keely's number.

"Hello?" Keely said.

"Keely, this is Bill-"

"What do _you_ want?"

Bill sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about . . . earlier. I'll make it up to you, alright?"

"I'm listening."

"Is anyone home at your house? Or will be soon?"

"No," she said, puzzled, "Why?"

"Great, I'll be right over." He hung up.

(A/n: I could be mean again. . .)

_Later at the Teslow Home_

"Keely, open the door!" Bill said loudly. The door opened.

"Yes?" Keely said crisply.

Bill blinked. She was wearing the same red dress she had worn to the Ladies Choice Dance almost a year ago.

_I try not to think about what might have been_

That dance had almost been a disaster. But Via and Own had tried to fix things. And he and Keely had danced in the garage.

_Cause that was then_

_and we have taken different roads_

_we cant go back again_

"Keely, can I trust you with a secret? A really big secret?"

She nodded.

_There's no use giving in _

_and There's no way to know_

_what might have been_

He took a deep breath. "My name isn't Bill, my sister name isn't Kim, and we have one really big secret. . ."

A/n: cliffie! haha! I left you with a cliffie. Random laughter. Sry.


	9. Apologies And Secrets, Part Two

**What Might Have Been**

**By. Tate Icasa**

Chapter Eight: Apologies and Secrets

Part Two: Secrets

_"My name isn't Bill, my sister name isn't Kim, and we have one really big secret. . ."_

"Bill, I don't understand,-"

He put a finger up to silence her. He pulled something out and (before Keely had time to recognize it as the Insta-morph) was turning to liquid gold, and then to his true form.

"Phil!" she gasped. "I don't believe it! How-? Why-? You didn't tell me!"

"I-I" he stuttered. "I couldn't. What if we had to leave again?"

Her eyes filled with understanding. "Well, then, what changed your mind?"

"You, mostly. And Pim. So, now you know," he said softly. He turned back into Bill Tiffy. "But you have to call us by the names we've chosen."

"W-why?"

"Hackett. And everybody else who doesn't know we're from the future. We can't let anyone know."

"OK, Ph-Bill. Your secret's safe with me. Again." She smiled. "Can I come over tomorrow after school?"

"Sure." He turned to leave.

"Oh, and Bill?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks. For trusting me, again."

Bill smiled and left.

"So," Kim asked the second he got in the door, "how'd it go?"

"Fine," he said.

"Does she-?"

"She knows. Again."

"How?"

Bill looked around. "Come on."

When they were safely in his room her told her.

"You didn't ask her out?" she asked. "Why not?"

"Kim! I just shocked her by showing her we were back, do you think she'd have an answer?"

"Hmm, well she's not _that_ ditzy, I don't think." He glared at her. "What? I'm just saying - ok, ok, so When are you going to ask her?"

"Kim, that is none of your business."

"If we'd stayed you would have asked her, right?"

"Eventually. . ."

"You'd have been a couple by now. Right?"

"I'm not a fortune teller, Kim! I can't tell you what might have been if not for Hackett!"

"This conversation is going nowhere fast. I'm out." She left.

_She's insane. We wouldn't have been a couple. Would we?_

"Would we?"

"Would you what?" Kim asked from behind.

"Kim!"

"I'm going." She left.

"She's turning into a Debbie-clone." he muttered.

"Debbie-clone? What's that?" Kim asked, behind him again.

"Kim, Out!"

_Interlude_

"Popping up behind people. I _am_ turning into a Debbie-clone." She shuddered. "I gotta get out of this century."

_End Interlude_

"Would we?" Bill asked again.

_No, we'll never know_

_What might have been_

END

A/n: Cliffie Ending! Haha, you have to wait for the sequel! MWaHaHaHaHa! I'm so evil.

A/n: If you yell at me for the ending I'll send evil shadow monsters to steal your computer while you sleep!

Ok, no shadow monsters, but I won't write the sequel!


End file.
